Winnipeg Jets’ Ben Chiarot (7) knocks Minnesota Wild’s Nino Niederreiter (22) away from the net during the second period of Game 4 of an NHL hockey first-round playoff series Tuesday, April 17, 2018, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

The funeral procession will commence in Rice Park and proceed north by northwest for 400 miles before the Wild’s 2017-18 season is laid to rest Friday in Winnipeg.

In lieu of flowers, send care packages to Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, a sacramental tome of exorcisms to Chuck Fletcher and a lifetime of sedatives to a restless fan base left to ponder another spring of what might have been.

The Wild just cannot catch a break, unless it’s Suter’s leg or Parise’s sternum, as the hockey gods have more fun at this stagnating franchise’s expense.

The $196 million injured duo was nowhere to be found Tuesday night when the Jets took a sledgehammer to Minnesota’s playoff mortality with a 2-0 Game 4 victory at the Xcel Energy Center.

It is all over but the ritual of a Game 5 burial at rowdy MTS Bell Centre, where the revelers wear white and the relentless Jets always take flight.

“Nobody feels sorry for us,” said goaltender Devan Dubnyk. “You go out and work and play and have confidence that we’re a deep group in here. Other guys are able to step up and make some huge plays for us. We’re going to do that.”

Dubnyk said all the right things in a hushed dressing room, as did veterans Eric Staal and Matt Cullen, but all of it sounded like lip service.

A challenging mismatch for the Wild has become a demoralizing slog after they lost Parise, which the public learned only four hours before faceoff. His postseason essentially was snuffed by a random Game 3 collision that landed their most tenacious and productive left winger in the infirmary alongside their most reliable and productive defenseman.

Winnipeg has too much firepower, too much depth and too much bulldog to wilt against a hamstrung opponent with more passengers than pilots as the Wild stare into the abyss of another first-round exit.

All-points bulletins have been out for forwards Charlie Coyle and Nino Niederreiter since the holidays. Godspeed finding either of these supposedly core offensive players in this big wide world. They certainly cannot be found crashing the net with pride and purpose.

Face it, folks. This manicured team is not built for the postseason hothouse. No matter the opponent, no matter the injuries, no matter the awful officiating, year after confounding year the Wild always are a step slow, goaltender late or a game breaker short.

Fletcher’s hair grows grayer by the hour. His tail is stuck in a crack. He figures to have another chance to pound more rocks and try to squeeze more gumption out of a cap-stressed roster with little flexibility.

Resignation was palpable Tuesday night every time the Jets sent wave after forechecking wave at a besieged Dubnyk, who should have worn a flak jacket instead of a chest protector. He has been a genuine hero this lopsided series.

Yeah, the Wild outshot them, but you could count on one hand their legitimate scoring chances, whereas Winnipeg raised stress levels with superior speed and puck possession, clanking iron left and right when it wasn’t flooding Dubnyk’s crease.

Meanwhile, the referees took the night off to the point of gross negligence, letting the boys play again after every tug and love tap was penalized in Game 3.

Eric Staal was cross checked in the side of the face by Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey during a first-period power play. He is going to live after being triaged on the bench.

But that’s felonious assault on the street. Only it did not warrant a call from referees Brian Pochmara or Steve Kozari.

Sure enough, the Jets chortled their way out of trouble and quickly seized a 1-0 lead when Mark Scheifele bagged the game’s first goal with 28 seconds remaining in the period.

“My take is it’s the same take as everyone in the building saw,” fumed a crimson-faced coach Bruce Boudreau. “The refs saw it and decided not to call it because we were already on the power play. Cost us the game.”

All true. All too convenient.

The Wild played valiantly and desperately, but it was not enough against a better team hunting bigger game.

During another power play in the second period, Jason Zucker was clubbed with a high stick.

Brian Murphy has been on the Pioneer Press sports staff since 2000, migrating from the Detroit Free Press, where he covered police, courts and sports for four years. Murphy was the Minnesota Wild/NHL beat writer from 2002 to 2008 and has covered the Vikings as a reporter and columnist since 2009. Murphy is a Detroit native and Wayne State University graduate.

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